Story highlights

He beats compatriot Daniel Gimeno-Traver to set up clash with Jeremy Chardy

Spaniard also through to the final of the doubles event in Vina del Mar

He and Juan Monaco will play Italians Paolo Lorenzi and Potito Starace

Slowly but surely, Rafael Nadal is feeling his confidence come back.

Three days into his return to the ATP World Tour after a seven-month absence, the former world No. 1 has reached the singles semifinals of the VTR Open in Chile and also earned a shot at the doubles title.

"Today I had more confidence than the other days," Nadal said after Friday's victory over seventh-seeded fellow Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver.

"That is positive. It gives me confidence, and reasons to believe that I'm on the right way. I'm happy to win in singles against a tough opponent like Dani and to reach the semifinals after seven months."

Having not played since his shock second-round defeat at Wimbledon late last June, the 11-time grand slam champion has slipped to fifth in the rankings as he has battled knee problems and then an stomach illness that forced him to miss the Australian Open.

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"In this tournament I had a good feeling. The crowd gave me their support all the time. It helps a lot when you come with a bad feeling," said the 26-year-old, who was to play French third seed Jeremy Chardy in Saturday's semifinals.

Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

The King holds court – A little after 6 p.m. on a breezy midweek summer evening in Vina del Mar, Chile, Rafael Nadal walked on to the clay court at the 2013 VTR Open after a seven-month injury absence that had many fearing for his career. The whirling click, click, click of cameras and shouts of "Rafa! Rafa!" echoed around the venue as the 11-time grand slam winner walked across the court tight lipped and unsmiling, waving half-heartedly at the crowd. Rolando Santos was there for CNN with his camera.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Dangerous opponent – After receiving a first-round bye, Nadal drew the tall and muscular Argentine Federico Delbonis -- the kind of opponent that has often given him problems.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Back on the baseline – Seven months after a shocking second-round loss at Wimbledon, Nadal still had more questions about his future than answers despite coming through a doubles match the previous day.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Stuttering start – Nadal's first volleys were less than impressive and it was Delbonis that took the first two games. The world No. 5 was tentative and rusty.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Knee watch – It was as if as more attention was focused on Nadal's knee than his play. The crowd sucked in their breath and winced whenever the Spaniard slid on the clay court or landed hard after a serve.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Slip and slide – About a half an hour into the match, Nadal chased a ball sideways across the court and slid on the clay surface but kept his balance. The look on his face as he came to a stop was a five-second blur of emotions. He looked wide-eyed at his knee as if expecting pain or a problem, before a trace of a smile crossed his face. He turned towards his opponent, his body language signaling "game on."

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Ferocious forehand – The intensity of his face and body increased as the match wore on, although most of Nadal's points were gifts from an over-aggressive opponent.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Warrior spirit – Late in the match, as the shadows covered most of the court, a heckler shouted, "How is your knee Rafa?" The stadium responded with a loud and angry "Shhhh!" at the breach of etiquette. Nadal responded in his own way with a cannon-like serve.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

Game face – At times it seemed like Nadal was working on specific shots after the layoff, as he tested his accuracy.

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Photos:Rafael Nadal's road to redemption

One down... – At the end of the match Nadal smiled, enjoying the applause and letting affection from the crowd and the moment sink in following his 6-3 6-2 win. He later went on to reach Saturday's semifinals.

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The seven-time French Open champion is seeking his 37th title on clay, having stretched his Open era win record to 256-19 on the surface.

If he beats Chardy, he will face an Argentine in the final after 73rd-ranked Horacio Zeballos reached his first ATP semi with victory over fifth seed Albert Ramos.

The 27-year-old will play eighth-seeded compatriot Carlos Berlocq, the world No. 81 who lost to Nadal's doubles partner Juan Monaco in last year's final at Vina del Mar.

Nadal will be seeking the eighth doubles title of his career when he and Monaco play Italians Paolo Lorenzi and Potito Starace.

They progressed with a 6-3 6-4 win over Berlocq and Leonardo Mayer.

Meanwhile, Petra Kvitova and Lucie Safarova gave Fed Cup champions the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead over Australia after the first day of their World Group tie in Ostrava on Saturday.

Kvitova can put the Czechs into the semifinals by beating former U.S. Open champion Stosur in Sunday's opening reverse singles.

Serbia, beaten in last year's final, received a lifeline when Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova retired due to severe cramps when leading 6-4 5-4 against Vesna Dolonc in Nis.

Daniela Hantuchova had earlier won 7-5 6-2 against Bojana Jovanovski, elevated to No. 1 in the home Serbian team due to the late withdrawals of former world No. 1s Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic through injury.

Japan and Russia were also tied 1-1 in Moscow, where world No. 57 Ayumi Morita leveled the best-of-five match with a 6-2 6-2 win over 20th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova.

Maria Kirilenko, at 13th the highest-ranked player in the first-round tie, won the opening singles rubber 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 against 42-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm.

The United States fought back to level at 1-1 against Italy as Varvara Lepchenko beat Roberta Vinci 2-6 6-4 7-5 in Rimini.